


Born An Angel Heaven Sent

by vagrantBreath



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Demonstuck, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Incest, John is apparently demon catnip, M/M, Multi, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 20:23:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6921937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vagrantBreath/pseuds/vagrantBreath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Falls from grace are never elegant...</i>
</p><p> </p><p>According to Jake English, demons don't exist.</p><p>According to demons, Jake English was never supposed to exist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welp. Let's see how this works. I came up with this when I first started coming down with pneumonia so this should be fun.
> 
> The title is from "Sacrifice" by Jeff Williams.

”Are you really sure you want to go visit John and Jane?”

It had long stopped being surprising when Jade popped up behind Jake out of what could only be nowhere. They had lived together on the island alone for years, after all. Little idiosyncrasies like that were just normal. “They are offering to put both of us up for a few weeks,” he pointed out as he packed. “John would so love to see both of his cousins, the lovely chap.”

”Yeah, but...” Jade gnawed on her lower lip. “I need to be able to feed Bec. I wish you wouldn't go either.”

Jake laughed, turning to her. “I’ll be fine.” He sobered for a moment, looking deep into her shimmering green eyes. “Jade, do you know something I don’t?” It happened often enough that he would believe she would have foreknowledge of events to occur.

She paused for a moment, staring at the colorful bands on her fingers as if it was a chore to remember, then shook her head. “Just a feeling. Be careful, okay?” Jade smiled at him, and stepped away.

It stopped being surprising years ago for Jade to suddenly disappear as well. Jade was just... _Jade._ His cousin could just move like that. Ever since their grandpop had left them alone on the island as children, they had learned to survive. One of those things had been Jade’s ability to move around like that. Apparently it helped her find food for them and her animal, Becquerel. He had... never actually met Becquerel. But all the meat she brought back was being consumed much quicker than he could eat, and he was certain a lass like Jade couldn’t eat like a growing boy like himself.

Jake realized he was staring at one of his shirts as if it was the most interesting thing in the room. Grandpop would be ashamed to know how distracted he was! He didn’t leave them for Jake to have his head so far in the clouds. He started to fold the shirt, packing it away and reaching for more pants.

Oh, he would need to speed this up! The plane they had managed to land at their island would be here soon and wouldn’t stay for long. Jake started throwing clothes into the suitcase, then paused. His pistols. Of course they had to come with him. But from what John had told him, they didn’t seem too keen on firearms. Or at least, firearms being carried openly. Was it legal? That wasn’t something he actually knew. He had to figure out what to do with them. Leaving them in his bag was a bad idea, as anyone could find them and he knew enough not to let one undisciplined in gun safety just handle one without him around. But there was no way he could keep them on his person.

Perhaps his uncle would have a resolution to this quandary. For right now, his pistols went into his bag, and everything zipped up nice and tidy. There. Everything was fine.

”Hey.” Jade hugged him from the side, having popped in randomly again. “I really really hope you have a good time. Say hi to everyone for me!”

Her words gave him new strength, and he shifted so he could hug her back. “I will. Thank you, Jade.” he mumbled into her black hair.

That made her giggle. “Oh, your ride’s here. Go have fun!”

When he pulled away, she looked rather tired, but she had been running around the entire island like usual in that way only she could. “You get some sleep,” he instructed her. “And I’ll be home before you know it.”

”I know.”

Jake didn’t doubt she knew.

* * *

But goodness golly gracious, everyone in Washington was so _nice!_

Maybe he did put out a bit of little lost lamb vibes, as the city was nothing like he expected it to be. It was so big, for one. But every time he needed to ask for help, anyone who was in a bad mood seemed to instantly turn it around as soon as they saw the lost look on his face. It was the reason he had a ride now to his uncle’s and meet his other family for the first time. He was so excited! Such an adventure!

The ride was in silence once Jake realized his babble of words weren’t being responded to. From there, he just sipped the sugary pop and nibbled on the snack he had managed to get despite not quite having enough. The clerk was so kind, seeing the look on his face and covering it for him. He never knew people over in the States were so nice. From what he had heard from John and Jane, they sounded like right bastards.

The car came to a stop, and Jake looked up. A house stood before them, which... was probably his uncle’s? Yes, the number matched. “Well, I supposed I should thank you,” he said as he turned to the woman giving him a ride. “You were too kind to give a-”

Jake’s words cut off in his throat as the woman looked at him, unbuckling her seatbelt. She looked like she was acting on some kind of autopilot, like- no, no, this was too strange. Jake fumbled with his clasp, throwing his door open once his seatbelt was unbuckled and tumbled ungracefully to the driveway, snacks raining down around him and his suitcase landing next to his left arm.

”Ow.”

For a moment, nothing happened. Then an arm reached out, grabbed the car door, and pulled it shut. Jake backpedaled as he heard the car change gears to reverse, and watched the woman drive away very quickly.

What just happened?

No matter. He was at his destination. And he had taken long enough. Everyone must be worried sick about him being so late! With that in mind, Jake brushed off his snacks and picked up his suitcase.

Time to meet the family!

* * *

John was such a breath of a fresh air. And his taste in movies- he thought he wouldn’t find anyone else with such a taste! And Jade teased him for his taste in movies. Jane was... always working. John was a little younger than they were, and had school to keep him busy for now. Jane had a job that kept her away during the night and had her sleeping late into the day. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it had to do with life. Protecting life. Or something like that. He was awaiting a day off since he had heard she tended to bake then, and her confections were to die for.

And now they were out of that wonderfully sugary pop. John groaned, pawing through his wallet. “I’ll see if Dad’s home and can get us some more pop,” he told Jake, putting his wallet away.

”No need. I’ll get us more.” He smiled at John as he got up. “Pause the movie and I’ll be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”

John giggled at that, pausing the moving just at the right time to show off Nicholas Cage’s face. “You have the weirdest phrases,” he informed him. “And are you sure? Do you have enough money?”

Jake ignored the first part and just smiled. “Of course I do! You just sit there and I’ll be right back.”

Jake did not have enough money. That was obvious when he stood there with a two-liter and tried to pay for his purchase. But when he looked up at the cashier, he seemed to take pity on him as soon as they locked eyes and rung it through. “It’s on me,” he told him, his voice a bit... strange.

”Oh come on, man!” A man from behind him stomped forward, slamming a six pack of beer on the counter. “That means I get this for free too, right?”

”No way. Pay up.”

Jake had enough of a sense to start to leave, catching only the barest hint of the rant the other man started. For some reason, people were really nice... to him. But why? Why were they so... nice to him alone? Was it because they knew he was new and wanted to make him feel at home?

He hadn’t taken a ride since the one he had when he first arrived. It still stuck on his mind, how the woman looked at him. Jake shuddered a little, the pop cold and wet in his arms. What would she have done? And... why did he have a feeling he wanted- _needed_ it?

It made no sense. He shook his head, trying to clear it. He need to stop thinking about it. It was something he couldn’t change. Something that had happened and wouldn’t happen again. Everything would be perfectly fine from here-

The thought was interrupted by a feeling crashing into him. Just this need. This urge that made him lick his lips, something that felt outside of him but filled him so neatly. He had to see where it was from. Jake’s feet turned to the direction he needed to go, his mouth half open. Yes, it was down this alley. He could feel it.

And then-

His boot landed on something that squished.

Dazed, Jake looked down. It was red. Red liquid. Red... blood?!

His heart now in his throat, Jake snapped his gaze up. What was going on? Why had he stepped in blood? What- oh god that was a body with its entire torso opened up. Bile rose as he took a few steps backwards, holding tightly onto the pop. What... why? What killed this person and why? He couldn’t even discern gender at this point, it was so torn apart. It was...

Something moved in the shadows. Jake reflexively moved to pull his gun, cursing softly when he realized he had left them back at his uncle’s. Open carry was frowned upon. Apparently it was allowed, but people were a little twitchy when he actually did so that one time. And he wasn’t anything if polite.

Which was going to come back to bite him, he realized as that something came out of the shadows, taking a bite out of... oh that was a heart. That something was a person eating a _heart._

”You shouldn’t be here,” the person - the male person - chuckled. Blood smeared his white chin almost comically. “I don’t know why you are, but it could be lucky for me. Two meals in one day.”

”I- I am not a meal,” Jake told him, his voice firming on the last few words. “What did you do to this poor person? What-”

Before he could say more, the man blurred into motion, slamming Jake against the wall with his free hand. “Pretty brave of you,” he said. Jake looked up at him, breathing heavily, trying to look past the pointed sunglasses. “But you’ve...”

Slowly, the man’s hands went slack, the heart landing on the ground. He stood there, wavering on his feet as he stared at Jake, then... started to lean in, his lips parted.

”NO! Leave- leave me alone!”

The man paused, just standing there, and Jake pushed him back. He stumbled back easily, and Jake started to run. Whatever that was- he didn’t want to be eaten. Or killed. Or whatever had happened there. He just-

It wasn’t until he was leaning against his uncle’s door that he realized he was still holding onto the bottle of pop with a death grip.


	2. Chapter 2

All he could see was forest green. Just the most lovely forest green eyes, enticing him in ways he had known before... but didn’t matter now. He just wanted... wanted...

Dirk snapped to himself, panting. Shit. That hadn’t happened since... he purposely steered his mind away from what his brother had been doing to Dave, and what it had meant for Dave’s development. But at the same time, it told him a lot about what it was he had just encountered.

And- fuck, it had gotten away. It had seen him feed and now got away. That wasn’t good. He needed to clean up his mess first of all (and he hadn’t even been able to eat the soul thanks to that thing. He needed both, thank you very much), and then contact Dave. Hopefully the Knight of Blood wasn’t on this dimensional plane at this moment and his half brother would actually respond back. They were supposed to start leaving soon and he could not leave that thing running around, possibly telling everyone what he saw.

He. That thing was male, wasn’t it. So very male. Dirk groaned as he picked up his meal, turning towards where he was disposing of the bodies. Of course he would notice that. Then again, it would be hard not to notice. What he was... whether it presented male or female was tied up so much in what it was.

Dirk shook his head as he leapt up to a rooftop, making his way across the buildings towards the dumping site. He needed to get ahold of Dave. And then they needed to scour the city for that thing. He could not let it live.

Even if he had let Dave live.

Damn it. That was hypocritical of him. He had learned about Dave, and instead of killing him, he had saved him. And yet another one like him, he was going to kill. But... fuck, what was he going to do? Dirk jumped down to the dumping spot, landing easily on the balls of his feet, and proceeded to dump the body into the water as he thought that over. It wasn’t an easy answer, not... shit. He couldn’t take him on. He couldn’t teach another one to be a functional half-demon.

They weren’t even supposed to exist.

And if they did, demons like Dirk were supposed to kill them.

With that thought, Dirk pulled out his phone, flicking through his contacts before finding the right one.

TT: Dave.  
TT: Put it back in your pants. We need to talk.  
TT: If the Knight of Blood is over there, get your junk out of his nook and pick up your fucking phone. We need to stay here for a little longer.  
TT: I’ll be home in a little bit. You better be clothed when I get there.

Great. Dave was more than likely feeding off the Knight of Blood, and he was feeding off Dave in return. Which meant blood all over his couch, again. The good thing, Dirk reflected as he jumped back up to the rooftops for easy travel, was “blood” had many different meanings, and Dirk knew if Dave asked him at any time for a favor, no matter what it was, the Knight of Blood would feel the urge to fulfil it, considering their “blood” bond. And they might need that soon.

* * *

”You have a perfectly good bed. It’s just a room away. Why do you have to have sex on my couch every time?”

”Because I don’t want blood on my sheets,” Dave retorted, stretching, still perfectly nude. “Anyway, Karkat helped me finish packing. We can move out any time. Where are we going next? I always wanted to go to Hawaii.”

”How much of the Knight of Blood’s time did you take?” Dirk asked quietly. Their brother hadn’t bothered teaching Dave alternate forms of feeding, and he got a little carried away sometimes...

Dave looked uncomfortable as he shrugged. “I went for a walk with John today. You know, uber-goober I met here? I took the time of a few people we walked by, like you taught me. So I didn’t take much of his. Everything’s cool.”

”Everything’s not cool,” Dirk retorted, making Dave’s hackles rise. “We need to stay here for a while longer.”

”And I was so ready to go,” Dave deadpanned. “What changed your mind?”

Dirk growled a little. “Someone caught me feeding.”

”By the way you’re talking, it sounds a little less than ‘oops new body’ and more ‘someone saw me and got away.’”

”Smart kid.” Dirk pulled off his shades, rubbing his eyes. “There’s an extra catch.”

”Of course there is.

”I didn’t get to eat the soul, so I’m still a little hungry, so don’t push it. No, this guy’s like you. He also had a pretty strong allure. Caught me hard.”

Dave went quiet, pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs. It hadn’t been that long ago that Dirk had decided to come by to visit his brother and seen Dave. And Dave had to remember what was said that day before Dirk and their brother went up to that hot rooftop in Houston and only Dirk came back down. “You can’t kill him,” he finally said. “It’s not his fault.”

”He saw me eating someone’s heart,” Dirk told him, kneeling next to him. “We need to make sure he doesn’t tell anyone.”

Dave looked over at him, red eyes almost burning with their unnatural light. “We can’t kill him,” he said again.

”Then what do you propose we do?” Dirk tried to keep the words from being harsh, but it still slipped through a little, making Dave go rigid. Damn it. He had done so well in not reminding him of that... training. And now he had messed it up.

”I don’t know.” The words came out in a whisper.

Dirk sighed, rubbing Dave’s bare back. Dave flinched a little when he first touched him, but didn’t pull away. “Think about it,” he told him. “If you can come up with something, we’ll do it. Until then, we have to think about ourselves.”

”You let me live. You’re teaching me how to control it. You could do the same here.”

He wasn’t even sure he was doing that well. “I know. I... I’ll think about it, kid.”

Dave sighed, uncurling a little. As he did so, Dirk’s eyes caught on each scratch and gouge the Knight of Blood left behind in their coupling. “Dave, go take a shower and then tape those up. You’re only half and you’re still going to get shit like that infected.”

”Yessir,” he mumbled, giving him an ironic salute as he scooted off the couch. The bathroom door slammed shut behind Dave as he went to take the aforementioned shower

Leaving Dirk to think about what was just said.

Taking the other half-demon on and teaching him was something he didn’t know he could do. Dave at least had some basis in that he had known how to feed. He didn’t know how much this guy knew. And then came the challenge of convincing him to actually trust them after seeing Dirk feed on a heart. And then-

And then there was the fact he didn’t even know he would actually be alive by the time they found him. That would solve one problem, but create so many more.

Half-demons weren’t supposed to exist.

When they did, they were killed.

And Dave was a half-demon.

Dave might be killed if they found this guy dead by the demon that killed him.

Damn it. What were they going to do?


	3. Chapter 3

Something as simple as another half-demon should not excite Dave so much.

But it did.

Fuck, there was another one out there like him. Another one _actually alive._ That had been one of the few things he had known growing up: Being half-demon meant that he was going to be hunted down and killed unless he could fight back. Dave absently touched his stomach, feeling for a scar that had healed years ago. He had been taught to stay on alert, that at any time someone could be coming for him, coming to kill him...

Taught whoever won at the end of a fight won the right to feed...

Dave pulled his thoughts away from the past. No, Bro was dead. And he was under Dirk’s tutelage now. Dirk taught him how to feed little by little, take his aspect from people with a brush of a hand as he walked by. The way Dirk fed, taking a little of a soul when he just needed a snack instead of a whole heart. He didn’t need to think about what Bro had taught him. He wasn’t in the middle of some huge war. He just needed to survive.

And keep himself from pinning John Egbert down and taking his time because _fuck_ did he ever see so much purity. The kid was a geek from beginning to end but he was such a pure dork. He didn’t hide anything. Maybe, at most, he was hiding he was a touch psychic due to weird things happening with the wind when he was around, but Dave had a pretty good idea that John had no idea that was happening. John was just so open and honest and pure _John_ that he wanted to grab him and start draining whatever time he had, and then just take it all and leave him with just a few years of life left.

He had a lot more restraint than that. Especially since John was kind of his best friend right now.

But the restraint had only come because he had Dirk teaching him how to actually live in the real world and not as if he was constantly at war. And if there was another half-demon out there that had at least some kind of training. He - Dirk had kept calling it a he - had caught a full demon in an allure. That wasn’t easy. Dave couldn’t even manage it.

There hadn’t been any reports of monsters eating hearts, though even if he had told someone about what he saw, the humans would have laughed at him. Dirk was very good at dumping the bodies. But the full demons...

That was it. He would have never told anyone. He knew better. Full demons would be on him immediately, knowing what he was, trying to kill him. This half-demon had to be trained enough to know that. Which meant finding him would be pretty fucking hard.

And he had a feeling Dirk knew that too.

Shit.

Well, first thing’s first. Spend time with dorky human friend in his room watching dumb ironic movies and try not to imagine plowing his ass and sucking up all that pure time. He never quite understood why his manifestation of feeding came in the urge to fuck everything. Maybe the demon side of him was incubus? Who the fuck knew. He was just lucky in a way that Bro saw him starting to get hungry for time and knew-

Dave shuddered. No. He wasn’t lucky for what Bro did. He wasn’t going to give that asshole any more credit.

”You okay, Dave?” John turned to him, eyes curious and worried. “Are you cold?”

”Naw, man.” The Texan drawl came through, left over from his years growing up under the merciless sun and strange winters. “It was nothing. So how long is your cousin staying again?”

The cousin was someone he had somehow never got to meet. He was always sleeping, or out doing something when he came by. Which was cool and all, and he had the feeling he was just as much a goober as John here. At least, considering how John kept grinning and saying his cousin had the same taste in movies as him. Which was really fucking scary.

”Another week. Hey, did you know he lives with another cousin of ours on an island in the Pacific? How cool is that!”

That made Dave want to chuckle, which he did not do. He was a coolkid in front of John. All the walls and shields up. “You’ve told me that before. Sounds like he’d be a country bumpkin, all unsure how the real people live.”

”Well, he’s not! Jake’s awesome. He even brought two guns with him! Dad says I can’t touch them, but Jake’s really good with them. Handles them really well.”

Guns. Well, it was Washington. They did say open carry was okay. Just... give Dave a sword any day. He started to say something meaningless, probably about guns, before he heard Dirk entering the apartment. Good thing that the two of them had unpacked the big stuff and hid the rest of the boxes before anyone else came over.

(Karkat would have a fit considering how much work he put into packing but Karkat had a fit over everything. A lot of the reason he loved him.)

”How’s everything going?” Fuck, he wasn’t used to a brother figure actually caring what the fuck was going on. Dirk poking his head in and asking the question made his fingers inch towards his katana before Dave realized what was going on. He still expected a strife. Shit.

”Great,” Dave managed to say, his tone smooth enough that it didn’t raise any eyebrows from John, but not enough that Dirk didn’t turn his eyes on him briefly.

”It’s about time for your curfew, isn’t it?” Dirk’s attention turned to John, making him groan.

”Yes.”

And there. That was the reason he wanted his time. John answered truthfully. He didn’t try to lie or anything. Just outright said yes. The kid wasn’t pure by the fact he didn’t think about sex or any of that shit (John had one hell of a filthy mouth and was definitely interested in girls), but pure in the fact he didn’t try to be something he wasn’t.

But John was his friend. And he didn’t feel enough about him to want to change that.

”Thought so. Get ready to leave, kid. Your dad should be by at any time to pick you up.”

That elicited another groan. It was kind of fascinating because... John was allowed to be a kid. Doing kid things. Not worrying that something would show up and try to kill him because of his birth. Fuck. He wished he had the no-shits-giving to just slap an allure on John and fuck the time out of him, or to care for him in that way. John was just so tasty a target.

Damn it.

* * *

”Having no luck?” Dave drawled as Dirk sat down heavily on the couch. It had been a week since the other half-demon had caught Dirk feeding and they still hadn’t found him. Normally, they would just leave it to be since nothing had come of it, but... it was a half-demon. Dave just... didn’t think it was right to leave him out there. Yeah, he was probably trained in some way, but... most half-demons were alone. He just wanted to make sure this one was okay. Something just told him that... he just needed to make sure this one was okay.

”Whatever his aspect is, it’s not something I can track,” Dirk told him, looking up at the ceiling. “That, or someone taught him to cover his tracks. Dave, we should just... go. We’ve been here long enough. They’re going to find my dumping spot eventually.”

_They’re going to find you._ Damn it. Dirk was too protective of him sometimes. And it would be for the best, probably. Considering they haven’t found the other half-demon, he probably knew enough to keep himself safe. Fuck, he might not even be in the same city anymore after seeing a full demon. But...

Dirk looked over at Dave, and sighed. “I see that look. I swear, if you were a full demon I would say your class is knight. You want to protect shit way too much.”

”Is it wrong?” Dave shot back. He couldn’t access his class as a half-demon, but he knew it was there. It was something. And it wasn’t wrong to want to protect another like him, another that could be killed just by accident of birth.

”No.” Dirk rubbed his eyes under his shade, sighing. “Dave, we need to think of ourselves right now. I didn’t take you from our brother just to watch you die.”

Dave turned away at that. “You could have. I’m a half-demon and you’re a Prince of Heart. You easily could have done what you did to Bro to me.”

”And I didn’t and I’m not going to start standing by to watch you die now.” Dirk started to stand up. “Finish packing everything up. We need to go.”

No, that was one fight he wasn’t going to win. Dirk was right. They needed to go. And he needed to ignore his urge to help the half-demon that caught Dirk feeding. “Fine. Can I at least say goodbye to John before we go?”

”Yeah. I’ll take you by his place after he’d get out of school tomorrow.”

Dave looked over at Dirk, and had the sudden urge to kiss him. Fuck. Not now.

Dirk wouldn’t allow it anyway. Not after what Bro used to do.

* * *

It sucked. John was one of his best friends for a long time. He didn’t want to leave him.

But as he waited in Dirk’s car for John to come home, Dave resigned himself to the fact that he would have to do so. That sucked. But it proved something: he shouldn’t get attached to anyone. They would just have to leave soon enough.

And there was the dork himself. Dave peeled himself out of Dirk’s car, coming up behind him as he fumbled with the keys. “Hey, John.”

”Uh!” John actually dropped his keys as he turned, his eyes wide with surprise. “Dave! I didn’t expect to see you. Um, I kind of have homework, so I can’t hang out...”

”Nah, it’s nothing like that.” Dave waved the words aside. “Just wanted to let you know Dirk got the job. We’re leaving tonight.”

That made John frown, almost pout. “Oh. I didn’t realize you’d move so soon. Um... you want to come inside and have something to drink before you go? I think my dad got some apple juice for you last time he went to the store.”

Out of all his vices, he couldn’t shake that one. Dave hid his grin, only tilting his head a little. “Yeah, I can spare a little time.” With those ironic words, he turned to Dirk’s car and waved, indicating he was going inside for a little bit. John was safe; it wouldn’t hurt to go in for a sip of the ol’ AJ.

There was movement upstairs when they entered, and Dave frowned. Dealing with John’s dad right now would not be fun. He cared for Dave like he was his own son, and telling him he was moving right away... it was hard enough to tell John. “Yo, is your dad home?” Dave asked as John closed and locked the door.

”Huh? No, that... hey!” John’s face brightened. “You haven’t met Jake yet. I know this is your last day and all, but you might as well meet my cousin. Hey, Jake! Dave’s over!”

Well, he might as well meet the last of the goobers, Dave thought as he heard this Jake come to the stairs. He’d be gone soon enough.

”I say, Dave, it’s been too long.” Oh fuck, he was even more of a dork. “John speaks highly of you and I’ve always... wished...”

Dave’s head snapped up as Jake’s voice trailed off. The first thing he noticed were the pistols, pointed right at him. Before he knew it, his hand was caressing his ever-present katana, and he had slid into a defensive position.

The next thing he noticed were the eyes. The deep, beautiful forest green eyes beckoning to him...

Dave broke eye contact with a small gasp. That was an allure. Jake had tried to get him with an allure.

Jake was the half-demon they were looking for.


	4. Chapter 4

It had gotten to the point that Jake could barely move. He was just so... he needed something. Whatever it was, he didn’t know. But it was something he hadn’t been getting since leaving the island. Jake rubbed his eyes, and stared up at the ceiling, pillow propping his head up off the bed.

It wasn’t meat. His uncle wasn’t a vegetarian, and served both him and John plenty of meat for growing young men. He had a bit more pop than he should have- it was such a rare treat, though! And all the junk food was probably not good for him. But that didn’t account for why he felt so legarthic. There was something he needed to have, and he wasn’t sure what it was. Something that Jade had given him...

With a sigh, Jake sat up, grabbing his glasses off the bedside table. Perhaps he should pester Jade for what she used to give him. He wasn’t going to return to the island for another few days. His hand fumbled for his phone, and he frowned at his lack of coordination. With any luck, he wouldn’t need coordination any time soon. That monster that had killed that man and had nearly attacked him hadn’t shown up again, but Jake knew it was still out there. Waiting. More than likely poised to pounce on him. He shuddered, sending a text to Jade.

GT: Jade?  
GT: I say jade i do need to speak with you.  
GT: When you get this message please message me back.

It did make sense that Jade wouldn’t answer. She spent so much time running around that island. Jade wouldn’t always be able to answer right away. Jake put down his phone and stood up slowly, stretching. Perhaps he should go downstairs for a glass of water.

His pistols brushed by his sides as he made his way to the bedroom door. The reasoning he had given was he didn’t want anyone to accidentally shoot themselves when he wasn’t around. Of course, the real reason was that monster. He had been unarmed when that bedamned monster had nearly overtaken him. He would not allow that again.

There were voices from downstairs. One he easily recognized as John’s, but other that had a cadence that made his heart pound ever so slightly. He didn’t recognize the voice, but the way the words were spoken...

And he relaxed as he heard John tell him Dave was over. Of course. Dave. He had never met this Dave. But John spoke well of him. He was going downstairs anyway for a glass of water. He should meet this person John liked so much.

”I say, Dave, it’s been too long,” Jake said as he started down the stairs, trying his best not to trip and fall head first to the end. That would not make a good first impression. “John speaks highly of you and I’ve always... wished...”

Jake’s pistols were in his hands before he even consciously registered what he saw. All it took was the white hair, pale skin, dark sunglasses... that _monster’s_ colorations... the monster had come after him, after his family...!

Then he blinked as he realized the one before him was a few years younger - nay, was in fact John’s age - and the shape of the sunglasses were much different. But now this Dave had a sword (where had he even gotten that from?) in his hand, his teeth grit. Was something like this so normal in Washington that people just carried weapons around all the time?

”Jake! Dave!” John had gotten between them at some point, his arms outstretched. “You don’t need to do this. Whatever’s going on, we can talk about it.”

”Get out of the way.” Dave’s voice had lost the lazy drawl it had before. “Now, John.”

Jake’s pistols had been drooping, but the sharp tone in Dave’s voice brought them back up, aimed right over his cousin’s shoulder. “Do not hurt my cousin,” he warned. “I will not be pleased!”

”No one’s hurting anyone!” John turned to look at Dave, then at Jake. “What’s going on? You two have never met each other. Why do you two want to kill each other now?”

A choked laugh came from Dave’s direction. “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

”No, you two are going to put down your weapons and tell me now!”

The words were punctuated with a sudden gust of wind throwing the door open, and one of his uncle’s prized harlequin statuettes being blown across the room to smash against the wall, various pieces flying in different directions and dust flying into the air. Jake lifted his guns away in surprise as John stared at the smashed harlequin.

”... fucking hell, you are a psychic,” came Dave’s voice, the words carried on a breath.

”Oh, is that all,” John said in an odd voice before his eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed.

Jake nearly tripped over himself as he stumbled down the stairs, Dave already by John’s side. Somehow, the sword had disappeared and he was looking over his cousin quickly, lifting one eyelid as Jake reached the bottom. He was about to holster his pistols when another entered the house, and-

...

”You...” Jake breathed, pistols shakily pointed at the new figure. Or, the one that had haunted his dreams. The white hair, styled just so. The pale skin. The pointed sunglasses. “You’re the monster...”

”Dirk, I don’t think he knows,” came Dave’s distracted voice. “Look at him. He looks like he hasn’t eaten.”

”I see it.” With that bizarre exchange, the monster (Dirk?) took a step forward, his hands up and empty. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

”You killed someone! You _ate_ them!” Why was his aim wavering so much? “You were going to eat me!”

There was a small smirk on the monster’s lips. “You saw me eating and I assumed you were human,” he said cryptically.

”Assumed? I am bloody human!”

That made Dave snort, Jake attention breaking to him for a moment. “About as human as I am,” he muttered. “Hey, Dirk, John’s in shock right now. I think that’s the first time he’s done so much. We’re going to need all the anti-shock shit, stat. Like pillows, blankets, all that. Need to bundle him up like a new console system.”

”Shit,” the monster muttered. “Look, we can worry about monsters and humans and all that later. Dave, move him to the couch. You, go sit down before you pass out. I’ll explain once we’ve taken care of John, but you’re starving right now. Dave, you’ve been here before. Which door is his room?”

”You are not-” 

”First door,” Dave interrupted, easily picking up John and moving him to the couch.

”You are not-” Jake repeated, trying to intercept the monster as he started up the stairs before his legs started to go out from under him. “What are you doing to me?”

”The only reason you’re still alive is because my brother is just like you.” Oh. Shit. John was in the hands of the monster’s _brother._ “Now get out of my way-”

That was all Jake heard before his legs finally collapsed, and his consciousness went with it.


	5. Chapter 5

He had no idea what he was.

The thought filled Dirk’s head as he caught the half-demon, looking over at Dave. The same thought seemed to have occurred to him as well, his hands absently stroking over John’s face. A sigh exploded from Dirk’s lips as he set the half-demon (he really needed to ask Dave if he knew his name) on the floor next to the couch, not looking at his brother. “How much of his time are you taking?” he asked quietly, as if he could rouse either a psychic in shock or a half-demon passed out due to hunger.

Dave jumped, his hands jerking away from John’s skin. “I didn’t-”

His brother wasn’t the only one that had looked at John in hunger. ‘Pure’ didn’t mean what most humans thought. A ‘pure’ human could swear and be angry and lustful. It didn’t mean that. It meant someone that didn’t try to lie, cheat, or otherwise be someone they weren’t. It meant someone who was honest. And John was pure enough that Dirk had wanted to take some of that soul a few times. Though now, he wondered if some of that was because of the fact he was a psychic and there was power he was wanting to taste.

”Just don’t take too much,” Dirk warned, straightening up. “I’m going to go get some blankets for John and...”

”Jake.”

”Jake here. Where’s John’s dad?”

”Working,” Dave muttered. “He works long hours and usually isn’t home until dark.”

That was good for them. They could do some damage control before someone who also had no idea came home. And given John... Dirk winced as he walked up the stairs. They didn’t know where psychics came from, but one theory was humans that had demon blood diluted enough that they didn’t hunger, but still had access to their aspect. And considering John had never actually used his aspect before, but it had leaked out... it wasn’t surprising the sudden real use of it put him into shock. Too much, too soon. Dirk felt his phone buzz in his pocket, a message, but ignored it as he came back downstairs with an armful of blankets. “Here,” he muttered, shoving them at Dave.

With no time wasted, John was soon wrapped up, and Dirk noticed that Dave changed his position so he was touching a clothed part of him now. “The Knight of Blood’s going to be jealous,” Dirk warned him.

Dave snorted. “I don’t feel like that for John,” he told Dirk. “Karkitty’s still in my heart as that shouty asshole I love. No, I...” Dave licked his lips, and Dirk understood that look of utter need that crossed his face. “I just want to _eat_ him.”

Carefully, making sure his every motion was obvious, Dirk ran a hand through Dave’s hair. It made him stiffen at first, as if he was expecting a blow (he probably had been, damn their brother), but he relaxed once none came. “It’s not good form to leave a body when you’re about to leave the city.”

With his eyes closed, Dave nodded. “I don’t want to leave him as a body,” he muttered. “I like him as a friend. I just want to eat him.”

Dirk ran his hand through Dave’s hair again. Human friendships were so messy, and this was one of the few Dave had growing up. They had chatted over the internet whenever Dave could have a moment alone. Of course Dave was going to hold onto it as hard as he could. “We’re going to be leaving as soon as we can. Can you hold out until we leave?”

Dave thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. I’m not hungry.”

”Good.” Dirk pulled his hand back, looking down at the form laying next to the couch. Jake. A half-demon that had somehow gotten to what appeared his late teens/early twenties and still didn’t know how to feed himself. If he remembered correctly, Dave had said something about him living on an island. How had he fed himself there? Someone must have been giving him his aspect without him realizing it.

Which added another problem. If he left Jake here, he’d be hunted down. He’d be... fuck, he knew the word. Jake would be culled. Dirk didn’t want to use the word often, but that’s what it was. There was a group that specifically went around culling half-demons and Dirk and Dave had been one step ahead of them for about three years now. If they left Jake...

Fuck. Dirk didn’t want to leave anyone to be hunted down - to be culled. And he knew Dave would fight to leave Jake alone without knowing anything. But...

They needed to get going. He had a feeling he knew who had messaged him and he knew what it was about.

The first thing they would need to do is feed Jake, wake him up, and explain what’s going on. Maybe give him a little information, and help him back to safety. Somehow he had lived quite well on that island. They would need to help him get back there. That would satisfy Dave’s knight tendencies. And then they could get out of Washington and towards another safe area. One where they could live a little while without being hassled.

Of course, the problem was...

”What is it?” Dave asked, noticing the frown on Dirk’s face.

”You’re not going to let us leave without helping Jake, are you?” The look on Dave’s face was all he needed to see. “Yeah, I thought so. The problem is, we don’t even know what is aspect is. It could be doom for all we know.”

”It probably isn’t,” Dave pointed out. “And that’s not the only problem.”

Dirk nodded. “I just got a message, and I’m pretty certain it’s from your little psychic cousin telling us to get our asses in gear. We’re on a time limit, Dave. We may not have the time to do anything but tell him what’s going on, put him on a plane home, and squeak out of here barely ahead of them.”

That made Dave gnaw on his lip. “But we have the time,” he said cautiously, almost a question. “We can feed Jake and help him out.”

”Dave...”

”If you’re not willing to feed him, I will.” Fucking _knight_ tendencies. He was definitely a Knight of Time, if he could ever access his class. Slowly, Dave slid off the couch and knelt by Jake. One hand touched his cheek, letting both of them feed as Dirk sighed, checking his phone.

One message. And not from who he expected either.

CC: She knows w)(ere you are. Be ready.

Shit.

Dirk opened his mouth, ready to tell Dave that shit was really hitting the fan, that it wasn’t Rose strangely predicting the future but the Witch of Life passing information to them when he saw Dave crying, his hands glued to Jake’s face.

The last time he had seen Dave crying...

Phone forgotten, Dirk pulled Dave away, breaking all skin to skin contact with Jake. “Dave. Look at me.” Dirk touched his face, letting him take a little of his time. He had so much more of it than Dave did. It was okay. “Look at me. Come back to me.”

”Hope.” The word came on a strangled breath, confusing Dirk for a moment before Dave gasped out, “His aspect is hope.”

And as Dave started crying softly in Dirk’s arms, drained of hope, Dirk just closed his eyes.

Shit.


	6. Chapter 6

Someone was crying. That wasn’t right.

Opening his eyes was hard work, though. Every part of him felt so heavy, down to each eyelash. But someone was crying, and he needed to see who that was.

Finally, John groaned, and the crying came to a halt. Two people talked softly to themselves, and there was movement. “You awake?” came a familiar, older voice- Dave’s brother. Dirk. John groaned again, not able to vocalize anything else. Why was he feeling so weak? What had happened?

”Why isn’t he saying anything?” That voice was familiar too, if hoarse. “Dude, is everything okay?”

”Psychic shock. You’ve never seen Rose after she has a particularly large vision.” Psychic what now? What was going on? “We’ve done what we can for his body. It’ll take a bit for his mind to catch up.”

There was a noise of assent, then a disgusting snuffling noise. “So what the fuck do we do with Jake in the meantime? I mean, hope’s a pretty fucking horrible aspect to have.”

Jake... his cousin. John managed to open his eyes at that, inhaling sharply as he did so. Too bright. But they were talking about Jake, and he needed to know what was going on there. What did they mean about aspect? What did hope have to do with that?

”Hey.” Hands steadied him as he tried to sit up, barely managing to thrash a bit. “John. Take it easy. Everything’s okay.”

”Jake...” Well, it was a word.

An explosive breath before one hand patted his chest. “He’s fine. Don’t worry about him.”

John looked over at the voice and yep, that was Dirk. Which probably meant the other person was Dave. “Hope...?”

”How much do you want to tell him?” Dirk’s attention changed to Dave, his hand still resting firmly on his chest. “And think fast, because we need to figure out what we’re doing now.”

There was a moment of silence, then a heavy sigh. “Who messaged you? Was it Rose?”

”It was someone with far worse news. _She_ knows where we are and is on her way. No matter what we choose, we need to leave town now, without anything. We don’t have the time to go back and pack anything up.”

”I take it _she’s_ worse than just someone that would normally want to kill me,” Dave said, his voice lazy. When John finally turned his head to look at him, he saw the tense lines and how deceptive his voice had been.

And... people were out to kill Dave?! “What- Dave-”

”If we just leave, Jake is dead, isn’t he,” Dave continued, as if John hadn’t spoken.

”And probably John.”

”Fuck that,” was Dave’s immediate response.

Dirk just went quiet for a moment, then his hand fell off of John’s chest. “We can’t take them with us,” he told Dave quietly. “And we can’t stand and fight. We’d need an army.”

”So in other words, Bro really was training me for a war.” Holy shit, John didn’t think Dave’s voice could sound so hollow. He wanted to reach out to him, to wipe away whatever had created that empty tone.

”Dave...”

If John hadn’t been looking right at his hands, he would have missed how tight Dave was clenching his fists. “It wasn’t just self defense against demons.” Whoa when did demons come into this? “It was because Bro knew of this and wanted to train me so I could stand against this bitch.”

”I saw that apartment, Dave. He wasn’t training you for shit. No one empties a refrigerator of food and fills it with swords.”

So now Dave and Dirk had forgotten John was even there. And shit... John knew things were different when Dave lived with his Bro. That things had changed when he started living with Dirk (though he had no idea why the change). But that... who did things like that? And it had something to do with the whole thing about demons. Maybe Bro had told him demons would get him in the middle of the night?

”No one bundles up a kid overnight and moves cross country because of some vague threat!” Oh hey, Dave can raise his voice. “At least Bro was teaching me shit!”

”Our brother was raising you to be a neurotic mess that jumps at everything.” Oh, yeah, Dirk was angry now. “And I have no idea how he was teaching you to feed your aspect other than how you reacted when I tried to feed it when he was still alive.”

Bro was _dead_?!

John finally sat up. He needed to know what was going on. “Dave... Dirk... what are you talking about? Who’s coming?” Full sentences, he was very proud of himself.

”Yes, Dirk, who is coming?” Dave asked, his voice quiet and controlled.

Dirk slowly stood up, going over to Jake. John noticed that he didn’t spend a lot of time touching his skin as he checked him over... “Demons exist,” he said shortly, looking over at John. “That’s the first thing you have to understand. Second thing is that there is a type of a demon called a troll. Most don’t care about anything on this plane of existence.”

”And the ones that do are friends of a mutant blood, so they’re just as much of a freak as I am,” Dave muttered.

”Third thing.” Dirk fixed Dave with a hard look as he continued. “Incubi and succubi can breed with humans and make little half-demons. Dave, do not interrupt again, I fucking swear. And the last thing you need to understand, both of you, is that there is a HBIC troll coming right here, and she does not need an army to kill both the half-demons in this room, and then take out me for harboring them, John for being psychic, and the entire neighborhood for kicks. So we need to get this figured out, now.”

Dave looked at him for a moment, then looked away. “Feferi, huh. Told you, John. The ones that care are friends of Karkat.”

Karkat... John had heard that name before- Dave’s boyfriend?! He had always thought it was strange that Dave had a boyfriend considering how he had been before Dirk took him in (and apparently Bro died), but... his boyfriend was a demon called a troll? How?

Wait. Two half...

”I’m not leaving Jake,” Dave said quietly. “I know that makes me like a knight, but... maybe we can figure something out. I just... I can’t. You know that, Dirk. If this is what Bro was training me for, then I better put it to use.”

”Wait.” Damn it, why was he so weak? “What did you... two half-demons?” He wasn’t a demon, or at least he didn’t think so. And the way Dirk was talking, he didn’t seem like he was either. Or maybe not a half-demon. So... John’s eyes widened as he looked at Dave.

His friend had been half demon this entire time.

And the only other person in the room was...

Jake.

Oh God.


	7. Chapter 7

It was obvious when John finally figured it out. His eyes went wide as he looked at Dave, almost as if he couldn’t believe it. Then his eyes went panicked as he realized who the other half-demon would be. He didn’t look at Dirk with any fear, so maybe he didn’t figure out that he was a demon. But now that had happened... Dave looked over at Dirk.

He had no idea if John would know it or not, but Dirk was touching Jake a _lot._ Not skin to skin, not smart with a starving half-demon, but his hand would brush across his chest, run across his shorts. And Dave was damn sure Dirk didn’t realize he was doing it. It wasn’t an allure, that was for sure. Couldn’t work the damn thing unconscious. So... was Dirk actually fucking attracted to him?

Would explain why Dirk let himself get caught by an allure in the first place. He wasn’t really the type to play with his food. So his big brother finally wanted to fuck someone. It kind of hurt that it wasn’t him, but... he knew why. That Day was the reason why. All the strifes leading up to That Day.

Fuck. He was going to ignore that. There were more important things to worry about. Like the fact there was a big nasty troll coming to kill them. And by the way Dirk was talking, they didn’t have much time. He looked up at John, seeing the way his face morphed to disbelief, then darted back and forth between Dave and Jake. Someone was having problems coming to grips with the fact his best friend and his cousin were half-demons.

Heaving a great sigh, Dave got up and sat next to John. Alarm flashed in his face as Dave plopped down, and John pulled his legs up away from Dave. At least he believed, a little bit. “Don’t look like I’m about to eat you, dude,” Dave chided, resting his arms on his thighs.

That made John chuckle a little. “But... you’re half demon, right?” he asked tentatively. “Demons eat people. Unless half-demons don’t?”

Dave waved one hand lazily. “We have to feed our aspects,” he told him. “Everyone has an aspect. For normal humans, it means jack and shit. Flavor text. Psychics, hell, probably that you can harness it or something. You did one hell of an air blast, so your’s is probably something to do with air. Breath, probably. Demons and half-demons eat their aspect.” John swallowed hard at that, opening his mouth before Dave leaned back, sighing. “Demons sometimes are literal. You heard about how itty bitty half-demons are made, so you can guess the best way for us to feed our aspect.”

”... you...” John nibbled on his lower lip, almost as if he knew the answer but didn’t want to say it.

”We can take it from skin to skin contact, but that’s not enough. Sex demon children gotta fuck.”

That made John wince. And then it hit him, his eyes wide with alarm. “Wait, that means Jake... but he’s not awake! That’s-!”

”We’re not going to rape him.” The words came out fast and rough. He would never rape anyone. Not after- “I’m thinking give him enough hope from skin to skin touching and then let him decide from there.” Never let anyone decide for him. Never...

”Dave?” Oh hey, John was actually leaning forward a bit, his face concerned. “You got really... weird there.”

In so many ways, he wanted to explain it to John. He knew John wouldn’t push him away for it. Asshole was too pure for something like that. No, he’d be more likely to try to help. And John couldn’t help. Past was past, and John didn’t have any kind of time ability. “Your cousin’s aspect is hope,” he continued as if John hadn’t said anything. “Which means he eats it from the person he’s getting it from. So whoever he fucks is going to feel kind of hopeless for a while.”

”Dave...”

Actually, if Dirk was the one that took one for the team, he better be there. Princes were pretty good at destroying things, and he didn’t want to help Jake out just for Dirk to kill him in a hopeless rage.

A hand touched his, jerking him out of his thoughts. Dave looked over at John, his heart in his throat as John smiled at him shakily, then actually _took his hand_ , even after hearing how he fed. “I know you’re hiding something,” he said. “And... I want to know what it is.”

”You do not want to know what it is. Shit doesn’t have a human equivalent. Fuck, it wasn’t until I started living with Dirk until I heard that incest was a hot subject around humans. So it’s not something you can understand.”

”Ince...” John’s eyes were almost comically wide. “You and Dirk?”

”He won’t touch me.” Fuck, it would be so easy to tell him. “Look, if we live through this, I’ll tell you. Until then, let’s figure out what we’re going to do with your cousin and the troll coming to kill us. Hey Dirk!”

With a start, Dirk looked up. Yeah, he thought Jake was fucking hot. “Yeah?”

”If you were to get your groove on with Jake, how much time would that leave us?”

Dirk thought about it, then shook his head. “Not enough. The Witch of Life gave us warning she’d be here, not a warning to run.”

”You can just call her Feferi, you know,” Dave told him. “And hey, we need any army, right? I know Karkat will help with the whole ‘I am a very angry Knight of Blood’ thing. If we get Karkat, we get Nepeta.”

Dirk thought about that, his hands absently stroking Jake’s face. Finally. “If we get the Rogue of Heart, we get the Heir of Void,” he slowly said, thinking about it.

”Um...”

Dave ignored John for a moment, absently squeezing his hand as he thought. “Sollux would come with Karkat if we asked. And if he comes, we get Aradia. So that’s five. And what about Feferi? If she hates this bitch, we can get six.”

”Hm.” Dirk’s hands lightly stroked Jake’s forehead, brushing his hair back. “If we get the Witch of Life, we can get the Prince of Hope.”

”Ugh, Eridan.” Dave had one experience with him and that was enough. “He’s got that hate crush thing going on with Vriska, right? We get Vriska, we get Terezi too. And both Terezi and Karkat have this thing with Gamzee...”

”The Bard of Rage does his own thing,” Dirk reminded him. “We can’t rely on him. Fuck, Dave, we can’t rely on any of them. The Knight of Blood, maybe, but the rest of them...”

”Is that what you think, or the fact you’re losing hope to Jake?” Dave countered.

Dirk blinked in surprise, then looked down at his hands. He hadn’t even realized, had he. Slowly, he pulled his hands away, taking a deep breath. “Contact the Knight of Blood,” he said quietly. “I’ll... I’ll figure something out. Dave...” Dirk looked up at the two of them, orange eyes over his glasses. He could feel John jolt next to him, realizing just how inhuman his brother looked. Maybe now he realized he was the human in the middle of demons?

”I know.” He just wanted to protect him, keep him safe, keep him alive...

Dave looked over at John, and realized he was still hold his hand tightly. “Sorry,” he muttered, letting him go. “I better go get my boy out of his slime. Knock him right out of bed. Make his whatever he calls a computer sing with all the messages I’m about to send him.”

”Can I... watch?” Dave blinked at the question. John just pulled his knees up, resting his arm on them. “I’ve never got to meet Karkat since... I guess he’s a demon. I want to know what he’s like.”

”Loud. Cusses a lot. Likes to make long speeches about nothing except how to insult you.” Dave shrugged. “Good in bed.”

”Dave.” John laughed. “I guess that’s part of who you are, huh.”

That just made Dave smile a bit. “Yeah. He’s a good guy, though. Cares a lot. We can fall asleep around each other, which considering I’m just going to get him out of bed, not wake him up, says a lot. He doesn’t sleep unless it’s with me.”

”Oh.” That was all John said for a moment, his thoughts turned inward. “Then I guess I’ll leave you two alone,” he finally said. “Um... you can use the kitchen for some privacy. Though, can you answer something? Dirk, is he... he’s not half demon, is he?”

”He’s fully demon,” Dave told him quietly. “He’s more my half brother than anything.”

John shivered, curling up slightly. “And me?”

”I don’t know. I don’t know what psychics are.”

Blue eyes looked over at him and _fuck_ he wanted to ruin that pure look. John just looked so purely _terrified_ right now. He wanted that so much. Just fuck him up. But...

Dave looked away. “I’ll just. Go pester him now.”

Fuck. He was looking at John more and more like he was just prey. He needed to get away from him, before- before-

As soon as Dave rounded the corner in the kitchen, making sure they couldn’t see him, his legs gave out on him and he slid to the floor, his hand over his mouth. He’d pester Karkat in a bit. Right now, he needed to get himself under control. Remember what Dirk had been teaching him. Blend in. Be human.

Don’t eat with sex against someone’s will.

Don’t see friends as food to eat.

And forget he was once unwilling food.


	8. Chapter 8

A moment of wakefulness. Sounds of someone talking.

Words spoken in fear.

The sound of someone familiar’s voice. Unable to place it.

Unconsciousness.

* * *

Someone was touching him. Stroking his face, over and over. It felt good. Made him feel stronger. He could hear someone talking, but the words didn’t make any sense. They didn’t need to right now. Just as long as he got more of that touching. As long as it made him feel better.

Then the touch went away, and he tried to whine. It had felt so good. But nothing came out but a huff of air. He tried to open his eyes, tried to find out where the touch had gone, but he couldn’t manage enough energy to do that. He was just so... tired...

A finger touched his face, a zip of energy crossing from the touch. Not enough to do anything but lay there and enjoy it, but it was something. He heard a sigh, and the finger turned into a deliberate placement of hand against his cheek. There was someone familiar talking, asking a question, but he couldn’t place it right now. All that mattered was how that hand against his cheek felt. How it finally gave him enough zing to open his eyes.

Nothing focused. A blur of white and black was all he could see. He heard someone talking that was almost familiar, then the sound of someone scrambling and falling off something. The hand went away as the almost familiar voice said something in concern (and a hint of amusement?), and-

Blue eyes. That was all he saw. And a rushing need to have that pure blue eyes to be his, to be devoured and corrupted and _his..._

A yelp filled his ears as he sat up suddenly, reaching for shoulders he knew were there. His hands wrapped around them, going on an instinct he only barely understood. He needed that. He needed what lay behind those eyes. That was everything he ever wanted, right there.

Strong hands yanked him back, breaking his grasp on what he needed. A whine broke free of his throat, quite embarrassing really, but he knew that was what he needed. But the strong grip held him back, away from the temptation, letting it move out of his grasp. How dare! One hand gripped his throat, keeping his head tilted high, and a voice gruffly barked an order.

_Get Dave._

It didn’t make sense to him. But the touch against his throat felt good in a way, made all the fuzzy colors start to resolve into shapes. Abruptly, he sagged, leaning backwards and finding a body sitting there to break his fall. He tried to look back, to see who was holding him up. All he could see were sunglasses, pointed sunglasses...

Why was that important?

Someone bent down across from him. His vision had cleared enough to see the face, the hair, the aviator glasses. The person spoke, words that still didn’t make much sense. He wasn’t... feral. He...

Lips touched his, and everything exploded. All touches scorched on his skin, from the one circling his throat to the hands that started to touch his face. It was... it was...

Jake went rigid. “Stop,” he whispered against the lips. He knew who they were. Who was holding him up. That monster and that... Dave, the one that looked like him.

That was all that needed to be said. Dave pulled back instantly, sitting down properly across from him. “You back with us?” he asked, his voice neutral.

Someone was still holding him back. And Jake had a good idea who it was. “I say, let me go!” He started to struggle, his heart in his throat as he realized just how _strong_ that monster was.

”Not until I know you’re not going to attack your cousin again.”

What? Jake slowly stopped his attempts to break free, looking around. And... there was John, sagging against the doorframe to the kitchen. He looked... terrified. And he looked...

Fuck. He looked _delicious._

”What did you do to me?” he whispered, his hands flexing.

There was a sigh, then the hand around his throat relaxed and moved to holding him tightly around the torso. “I kept you from doing something you would have done and regretted later,” came the quiet words. “There’s a lot that’s going on, and you have to listen to me. We don’t have much time.”

And then the monster spun a story that only came from a fairy tail. Demons, half-demons, and a troll so powerful she could destroy all of them without thinking? But... Jake looked over at John, remembering the outburst and the rush of air that came with it. His eyes slid over to the destroyed statuette, biting his lower lip.

Demons didn’t exist, though. If they didn’t exist, how could he be half-demon?

”Hogwash,” he finally said aloud.

”Excuse me?” the monster - Dirk - said just as John exclaimed “Jake!”

”Hogwash,” Jake repeated more firmly. “How can all of that exist? Demons, half-demons, someone coming to kill us all... it’s all a pretty story, but I don’t believe it.”

”Jake, you tried to attack me!” John exclaimed. “And- And I can see how you’re looking at me even now. It’s like... part hunger, part lust. I kind of believe him because you... look really demonic right now.”

That made Jake stop and swallow. He... was looking at his cousin with lust? But that was- And he looked demonic?

”I don’t know how, but you have been fed your aspect all your life without having to fuck,” Dirk continued. “I don’t know how that happened. But right now, you starved yourself to the point you _need_ to have sex. Now, you can choose to fuck one of us, or we can bundle you on a plane back home and you can get whatever way you eat back home. But you have to choose now. We don’t have the time.”

”Because of the troll.” The words came out flat, still unbelieving.

”Jake, please,” John pleaded. “You don’t have to stay here. You can go back home to Jade. Just believe him.”

Believe him. He can go home, back to Jade, away from these insane people.

And in a way, he believed Dirk. He had seen him eating a human heart, taken from a chest broken open without any tools. But demon...? It seemed so...

”The plane back home isn’t to come for at least another day,” Jake finally said quietly. “The island I live... it’s not one that many people know. If this troll is as close as you say, I won’t have time to leave. But why must it be sex? That just seems so... seedy.”

Dave snorted. “Part of who we are, man. Sex demon babies. Get all the fun stuff from them.”

Sex demon babies... a thought hit him. Jade. Did she know. Or could she also possibly be half-demon too? But she seemed not to need anything like that. Strange.

Jake sighed. “And if I choose not to have sex?”

”Then we put you somewhere you aren’t a liability.”

Oh, that was actually an option. And not one he wanted. He couldn’t take being cooped up somewhere like that. He wanted to be free. To... be full. He wanted...

He wanted _John_ but that was not on the table. No, incest was not something he could condone doing. Then, that meant one of the pale demons. Dave or Dirk. Dave was about John’s age, so that put him out. Dirk then. It wasn’t... horrible. The thought. Dirk had been completely honest with him, or so he thought, he hadn’t tried to attack him at all despite seeing him eat a heart, and he remembered he wasn’t terrible on the eyes.

That was an interesting thought. He had never considered what he thought as attractive, but having a man worm his way into his thoughts as such... well, it went with some of the women he found attractive too. Interesting. It didn’t matter much, though. He was doing this to feel better.

The part of him that was happy to do so was odd and could be ignored.

”Fine,” he finally said aloud. “Dirk and I should find a place alone, then. I don’t fancy having sex in the middle of a crowd.

He felt Dirk sag against him in relief. A strange monster, relieved at something like that... “Thank you,” he whispered, the breath gliding across his skin and making him shiver.

No, it wasn’t a horrible thought at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I have a Tumblr at [wineturnstowater](http://wineturnstowater.tumblr.com/). Why do I mention this? I put fun little facts like [this one](http://wineturnstowater.tumblr.com/post/145533833767/ive-had-three-songs-that-ive-listened-to-in) sometimes!


	9. Chapter 9

John almost fell to the floor in relief when Jake chose Dirk. He didn’t know why, if it was because he was the only human in the middle of demons, but the way everyone looked at him was just... weird. It made him uneasy. He wasn’t a meal for them. But they way they kept looking at him...

And one of those demons looking at him like he wanted to eat him was his _cousin_. Just... how? Why? It made him shiver at the thought that maybe Jake was falling fast into being a demon. That starving himself by being here had kicked it off. Dave did kind of hint that incest wasn’t a thing with demons. Did that mean Jake was going to start thinking that it was okay to... feed of off John?

He looked away, closing his eyes tightly. Later. He’d worry about that when they weren’t scrambling against a clock. And it would all be okay. Jake and Dirk would go upstairs and fuck, and-

”I say, I did mean for only Dirk and I, and for us to be alone!” Jake’s voice made him open his eyes again, wide as he whipped his head over to stare at- at- was that Dave running a hand up Jake’s leg?

”Yeah, but I take it you weren’t listening,” Dave drawled, his hand running over Jake’s thigh. “Your aspect is hope, dude. That means you’re going to eat the hope of anyone you fuck. If anything, having someone around when Dirk goes hopeless is going to help him.” Dave hesitated, biting his lower lip. Again, he was going weird. “If you agree to it, having two people would help everyone not flipping their shit because they feel like all their hope is gone. Is that okay?”

”But-” Jake looked over at John, inhaling sharply. And that was before Dirk pressed his nose into his shoulder, lips suckling at his skin. God, he really was being demonic. His eyes were so hungry, and how could he have missed it? They didn’t look anything human. No human eye had color like that, vibrant and alluring. Green eyes didn’t look like that good. “John,” Jake finally said weakly, and he wasn’t sure if that was a plea for John to come closer, or to remind the Striders that he was there. Maybe Jake didn’t know himself.

Dirk lifted his head, staring over his shades at John. “He’s here,” came the low, almost growled words, and John’s shoulder hit the doorframe hard. Oh God. He started to slip down, legs sprawled in front of him. What was going on? Why did his legs not want to work? Was this some kind of demon thing?

Jake looked up at the ceiling, breathing heavily. He looked like he was trying to get ahold of himself. John’s fingers scraped across the floor, trying to find something to curl into as he watched his cousin try to form the words he wanted. “A-are we going to do this in front of him?” Jake finally said, words not quite steady.

”Depends on if you want to.”

Dirk’s words made Jake shudder, and John watched his fingers dig into Dirk’s leg. He wanted it, John realized. He wanted more than that- he wanted John to be there. But he wasn’t so far demon that he lost the reason why incest was bad.

”This is all well and good, but I asked a question first.” Dave’s voice made John jump a little, and- yeah, he had asked a question. He had asked if it was okay if it was a threesome. Which- okay, John closed his eyes, still unable to get up. He didn’t have to watch. They could all fuck and he didn’t have to see what Jake’s O-face looked like.

”Yes, yes.” Jake sounded so desperate by now. “Just...” The thought wasn’t finished, and John slit his eyes open to see Jake almost rutting back up against Dirk.

Dave turned to look at John, and he had the distinct feeling there was hunger in his eyes too behind the shades. “You want to join in?”

A high pitched whine was all that came out of John’s throat. No, he didn’t. He wanted to go upstairs. He wanted to be out of this. But all he could do was watch Dirk’s hand push up Jake’s shirt, and Jake writhe as Dirk pinched something under the cloth. “N-no,” John finally whispered. “I don’t.”

Without another word, Dave turned back to Jake, his hands running across his shorts. Damnit, John needed to get up. But he couldn’t stop watching Jake gasp and focus his attention up at the ceiling. Dave wasn’t doing much, but Dirk... Dirk had his mouth on whatever skin he could find. His hand stroked down Jake’s chest to the button of his shorts, then further down to stroke oh hi that was Jake’s boner.

John’s cheeks and ears grew hot as he watched Dirk rub his hand up and down the erection in Jake’s shorts. Now... now John wasn’t sure why he couldn’t look away. His fingers dug into the floor as Dave parted Jake’s thighs, leaning up between them and- holy shit was he going to kiss Dirk?

No, his lips met the other side of Jake’s neck. The moan Jake made with both Striders on his neck made John shudder. He watched Dirk finally pop the button on Jake’s pants and that was when he squeezed his eyes shut, shaking. That was enough. He felt like a voyeur like this. He needed to get up, go upstairs, let them fuck his cousin.

Except John still couldn’t move, could only listen to the sound of lips against skin, the breaths and moans made by Jake, the rustle of clothing. He wasn’t sure if his legs would even hold him now if he stood up.

Then there were odd sounds. Crinkling and- oh God that was a condom. John felt his cheeks redden even more. Something was ripped open and then-

John’s eyes popped open of their own accord at the sudden deep moan Jake made. And he wished they hadn’t, because now he couldn’t take his eyes off Dave pumping a finger in and out of Jake’s ass. And the way it glistened and the little packet on the floor, that had to be lube on his fingers. Dave was holding Jake up as Dirk was doing something else, was... oh yeah, the condom. Going on Dirk’s dick now.

He couldn’t look away. Dave fingered his cousin’s ass, adding another and eliciting another deep moan at a good thrust, and he couldn’t look away. He could see Jake’s dick, erect, on display for the world to see how much he wanted it, and he couldn’t look away.

And when Jake finally sank onto Dirk’s cock, he couldn’t look away.

He had to watch. And when Jake threw his head back, gasping as both Dirk moved right and Dave lapped at his throat, John bit his lower lip. Of all the things, this was the element Jake looked right in, looked like he had been born into- wait, that was dumb, he had been born into it. He was a half-demon.

Dave didn’t touch him other than kissing his throat once Jake was writhing on Dirk’s dick. It was all Dirk, the one that wrapped a hand around Jake’s cock, the one that thrust into him, the one that made his cousin _shudder_ and _come_ -

The howl that came right after made John jump. It sounded so... oh. His eyes went wide, realizing what was happening. That was Dirk. And that howl was the sound of a hopeless man.

Oh God, Jake really did eat hope.

Dave moved quickly, too fast to see, and reached around Jake to hold Dirk. The hands holding Jake up fell away, and Jake slumped over on his side, Dirk’s cock popping out of him as he did, and Dave pulled Dirk to him, murmuring something to him. John watched, his eyes wide. Finally, he looked down at Jake, looked at the blissful, sated face. Jake opened his eyes, and they no longer stared at John in hunger.

But now he had the Striders, and the elder one was still hard and clinging to his brother, shaking and making noises he didn’t know people could make.

John wasn’t sure he was completely off the dinner menu yet.


	10. Chapter 10

The text alert when off when she was halfway across the island. Jade groaned, lowering her rifle at the noise. Of course. It only had to be her dweeby cousin. What was it now? It has been long enough that he wasn't awestruck by something in the States. He wasn't supposed to come back until... tomorrow? So it couldn't be “Come pick me up.”

Jade groaned again, focusing her mind on the distance. Between here and there, one long step and- _there_. Home. She didn't have to worry about anyone to startle, so she took her long stride right to her phone. What did Jake have to say now?

”Hm? What’s going on?” Jade muttered as she read the messages. Her fingers flew as she shot her own text back.

GG: heeeey whats up?  
GG: everything okay?????

Nothing. But he didn't have to respond right away, right? He might be busy.

Jade found herself pacing, her feet shuffling across the floor quickly. Everything was fine. He was just busy. Jake was just busy and he’d respond in a bit. He’d...

GG: jake are you okay???? :o

He was just busy. Her bad feeling didn't mean anything. Everything was fine.

GG: jake?

She needed to be there. He wasn't responding. Something was wrong. She knew where John’s house was, right? One long step and she’d be there. No problem. Jade started to focus on the distance (why couldn't she see the end?) then thought about it. She probably looked like a beast, running after animals and feeding Bec. Might want to straighten her hair. Jade ran her fingers through her black strands a few times, making sure they laid down a bit flatter. That was the best she could do. Now for going to John’s...

Focus on the distance between here and there, take a step...

And... she was somewhere. Lots of... houses? Yes, those were houses. And people staring at here. Oops! She startled them by showing up out of nowhere again. Hopefully she was in the right area. John’s address was... hm. Where could she find what street she was on? Jade wandered up the street a bit before she came across a crossroads, and a sign. Okay, she was on the correct street! So now she just had to find the right number. They seemed to be getting bigger the way she was going, so she was going the right way. Jade continued walking down the street, the bad feeling getting worse in her stomach. Something was really wrong.

When she found John’s house, the door was wide open.

And she could hear a demon’s howl.

Without thinking, Jade rushed into the house. Jake was staying here. And if a demon was here-

They weren’t supposed to find him. She promised their grandfather she’d protect him, no matter what. How could she have let this happen? Augh! Jade came to a stop as she found the demon and her cousin.

Her well fucked cousin, half unconscious.

And another half-demon holding a howling demon.

There wasn’t much she could go on, but she knew her cousin’s aspect. And it made her so angry that a _demon_ was there that might have been feeding off on Jake while giving him hope! The half-demon raised his head as she growled, eyes hidden by sunglasses.

”What the fuck!” Oh look, he knew how to use a sylladex too. And he preferred swords. Well, that told her that she could have taught Jake at some point. “Uh, Dirk, we have a big problem so if you could just get a hold of yourself...”

The name rang a bell, but it didn’t matter. She made a promise to protect her cousin, and they could have hurt him. Jade could feel her hair twisting, rising. Bec was angry too. They were both really angry.

”S-stop!” That was someone new. But she couldn’t take her eyes off the threat, even if she heard someone getting up and staggering over. Whoever it was, they were human. Not worth looking at. “Just... stop! What... who are you? What’s going on?”

”It’s between me and these fartfaces,” Jade growled. “So go away.”

She could see white eyebrows raising above the half-demon’s sunglasses. “Interesting choice of words,” he said neutrally. “Like to know what we did. And uh, Dirk, does that bitch employ demons as a first wave or something?”

What? Jade growled again, feeling that something was really, really wrong here. “You hurt him!” She pointed at Jake, who was starting to stir. “Or fed off him or... I just know something’s not right!”

The demon wiped at his face, taking huge breaths as he slowly sat up. He looked at Jade, and froze. “Uh...”

”Dirk, like I said, we have a problem.”

”I can see that,” the demon said slowly. “Dave, get out of here. You can’t fight her.”

”Okay, one, if I’ve been trained-”

”Just fucking listen to me and get out of here,” he interrupted. “Get John and Jake and get out. Try to contact the Knight of Blood again.”

Dave... Dave and Dirk?! She had been speaking to a Dave online, and he had mentioned his brother, Dirk. And... Jade slowly looked over at the human that had spoken.

Who she saw was a _feast._ A human she wanted to feed Bec to, because he would taste so sweet. So good. So pure. And then she’d feed her aspect by taking his space-

”John?” she whispered. “And... Dave?” No, if Dave was a half-demon, if he had hurt her cousin...

She couldn’t forgive him. She wouldn’t.

”Okay, I don’t know how you know me, but-”

”You look like Jake,” John said, interrupted Dave. “You... Jade? Are you... but why do you have... why do you glow... a-are you half-demon like Jake?”

”She’s a full demon,” Dirk said flatly as he stood up, still with his- oh. Jade steadfastly did not look at what was between Dirk’s legs. He needed to tuck himself back in and zip his pants up. “And if I’m right, that’s the power of a First Guardian she has.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong. She did say she’d do anything to protect Jake. “And you had sex with my cousin,” she told him. “Which meant you fed on him. Which meant you hurt him. Which means I get to hurt you.”

”We don’t have time for that!” John’s voice cut through them. “Didn’t... didn’t Dirk say someone’s coming? Jade, we shouldn’t be fighting. We need to-”

”Who’s coming?” Jade asked, her voice calm despite the very bad feeling she had.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Dave shrugged, opening his mouth to say something.

”Her Imperial Condescension.”

Jade could feel her heart skip many beats at Dirk’s voice. No. No, no, no, no. Not her. Her pact with Bec wasn’t that strong. She could only chase away normal demons. Not her. Not the head troll, not the one that had all that power-

She had to get Jake out of there. Grab him and twist space until they were back on the island. That bitch would _kill_ him without thinking. Jade turned to Jake, ready to grab him.

And that was when half the neighborhood blew up.


End file.
